


Someone Worth Melting For

by ellembee



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 02:17:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13137039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellembee/pseuds/ellembee
Summary: These past few months have been hell. Not only has Peeta been in and out of court battling his ex-wife for sole custody of his daughter, his new boss Ms. Everdeen won’t cut him any slack. So far, this holiday season sucks.





	Someone Worth Melting For

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing like a last minute Christmas fic. Title from _Frozen_. Happy Holidays!

The harsh clatter of high heels against linoleum announced her approach. Everyone sprang into action, a domino effect down the two rows of desks in the office. Madge clicked out of Pandora, which had been playing Christmas music behind the design she worked on. Delly shoved the brightly-colored wrappers of several Hershey kisses into her purse. With a wave of his arm, Finnick knocked all the Christmas decorations he had set out that morning into his desk drawer.

It wasn’t as if Katniss had forbidden them from celebrating Christmas. She just strongly discouraged a cluttered desk, and, for whatever reason, seemed to hate the holiday season. 

Peeta shoved his cell phone in his pants pocket a second before Katniss rounded the corner. If she had heard Burl Ives urging everyone to have a “holly, jolly Christmas” as she approached, she made no indication. Unfortunately, she didn’t ignore the cell phone on Finnick’s desk. In his haste to hide the decorations, he had forgotten all about it.

While the rule about keeping personal phones out of sight during work hours existed before Katniss became their boss, she was the first one to actually enforce it. She was, above everything, a stickler for rules.

“Phone,” Katniss said as she walked down the aisle in between the two rows of desks. 

The slam of Finnick’s drawer stopped her. She looked down at him, eyebrow raised. This was her usual expression when she was displeased. It was eerie how quiet she could be. Even when chewing someone out, she never raised her voice. She just turned that cold, disappointed expression toward her target and waited for him or her to wilt.

“Sorry.” Finnick forced a smile. “I was just eager to complete your request.”

“If only you applied such enthusiasm to your actual work,” Katniss said. 

Finnick’s eyes widened, but before he could respond, Katniss disappeared into her office. As soon as the door shut behind her, Finnick tugged at his hair and pantomimed a silent scream.

“I thought she had a meeting,” Madge said, leaning across the aisle.

Peeta looked over his shoulder to confirm the blinds in Katniss’s office were closed. “Guess it ended early.”

“Everyone probably froze to death in Elsa’s presence,” Finnick said.

“Oh my goodness, would you stop with the Elsa crap?” Delly demanded, popping another Hershey kiss into her mouth. “I don’t know why you have to be so mean.”

Katniss had been their boss for three months, but it had only taken three days for Finnick to dub her the Ice Queen. Eventually, Madge had suggested they use the name Elsa, so they could shittalk Katniss in public without worry of repercussions. It was childish, but they desperately needed the outlet. Katniss was, to put it mildly, a real piece of work. 

“Uh, maybe it’s because she’s a nightmare?” Finnick suggested.

Peeta leaned back in his chair and waved his open hand. Delly cast a surreptitious look at Katniss’s office before throwing Peeta a piece of candy.

“She really isn’t,” Delly insisted. “If you’d just have an actual conversation with her--”

“No thanks,” Finnick cut in. “I tried that. You know things have been...difficult at home.”

Delly’s expression softened. “How is Annie?”

Finnick stared down at the keyboard. Delly, Peeta, and Madge inched closer so the rest of their co-workers wouldn’t overhear. It wasn’t a huge department - there were only twelve of them - so everyone knew each other, but that didn’t mean everyone had to know everyone’s business.

“She’s back in the hospital,” Finnick said quietly. 

Peeta winced, his gaze automatically flickering to the time bar on his computer: December 21. Only four days to Christmas, and Finnick might be spending it alone.

“The holidays have always been a trigger for her. I just thought we were prepared this year. I thought I was doing everything right…”

“You’re doing your best,” Delly said. 

“I’ve just been stressed out. It’s hard to focus when I’m wondering how she’s feeling, if she’s lucid…” Finnick trailed off. “Anyway, I ventured into the Ice Queen’s office and asked if I could be taken off the Jensen project.”

“And?” Delly prompted.

“What do you think? She told me if I was too preoccupied to finish it, she’d be happy to relieve me of the rest of my projects too.”

A burst of anger shot through Peeta, staining his cheeks red. “She threatened to fire you?”

“Basically.”

Peeta clenched his fist and swallowed the stream of obscenities that threatened to spill from his mouth. Anger was an all too familiar emotion. He tried not to let it get the best of him, tried not to let it explode into a rage, but he couldn’t always help it. He had inherited his mother’s temper.

“Unbelievable,” Madge said. “I’d offer to help with your workload, but she just dumped two more projects into my lap.”

The landline on Peeta’s desk rang, interrupting their chat. Madge, Delly, and Finnick settled back into their chairs and returned to work as Peeta answered.

“Peeta Mellark.”

“Hello, Mr. Mellark, this is Nurse Henderson at Panem Elementary.”

Fuck.

Peeta squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he gave the person on the other end short, affirmative answers.

“I’ll be right there,” Peeta finally said, hanging up the phone.

“Everything okay?” Finnick asked. 

“It’s Paige.”

“Again?” Madge asked.

Finnick sighed. “Good luck with Elsa.”

Before Peeta could move, Katniss opened her office door and cleared her throat. The noise immediately dissipated as all eyes turned toward her.

“After much consideration, I’ve decided to keep our department open the day after Christmas,” Katniss announced.

A chorus of groans rang out, but Katniss ignored them.

“With the amount of work that needs to be finished before the New Year, it would be irresponsible to close,” she continued.

Peeta had worked here for Abernathy Inc. for seven years, and every single year, the office had been closed from December 24th to the 26th. The decision was made in each individual department by the supervisor, but none of Katniss’s predecessors had ever decided to actually open the day after Christmas.

“We’re lucky Christmas Eve is a Sunday this year,” Finnick said.

“I bet she’d make us work Christmas if she could,” Madge said.

“Mr. Mellark?” Katniss called. “A word?”

Peeta followed Katniss into her office. She settled into her chair, but he remained standing.

“I need to take the afternoon off,” he said.

“Please take a seat.”

“It’s a family emergency. I really need to--”

Katniss stood suddenly, and walked around him to shut the door. When she returned to her seat, she folded her hands and looked up at him. Her face remained maddeningly calm.

“I received your time off request for next Wednesday afternoon,” she said.

“Yes. Is there a problem?” 

“Look, Mr. Mellark, you’re a hard worker. Your designs are always top quality, but you’ve been missing deadlines, and I know Delly’s been doing some of your work for you.”

This time the flush of his cheeks stemmed from embarrassment. He had always prided himself on being a capable, diligent employee no matter where he worked. But the past several months had been hell.

“I can’t allow you to leave early today and take off Wednesday afternoon. It’s just not feasible.”

Peeta’s jaw clenched. “I know I’m out of personal time. I can take it unpaid.”

“That’s not the issue. I need your current slate of projects completed before January 1st.”

Peeta balled his fists at his sides, his fingernails cutting into his palms, as he forced himself to remain calm. He was all too aware of the minutes ticking by. Paige was waiting for him.

“Well, Ms. Everdeen, with all due respect, this is ridiculous.” When her expression didn’t change, he nearly kicked her desk. He wanted some kind of reaction out of her, proof that she was more than a well-oiled robot. “I’m not waiting around. I told you it’s an emergency, and I’m leaving. Fire me if you want. I don’t care.”

He headed toward the door.

“Mr. Mellark,” Katniss said.

He grabbed the doorknob, but before he could storm out, two very strange things happened.

One, Katniss raised her voice, and two, she called him by his first name.

“Peeta, wait!”

It was a weird quirk of hers that she referred to everyone by their last names. Peeta would have preferred she use his first, but for whatever reason, she insisted on maintaining a certain distance from her employees.

When Peeta turned, he was surprised to find Katniss had come around her desk and had her hand outstretched, as if to stop him.

“You’re not required to disclose whatever is going on in your personal life. It’s none of my business. However, if there truly is a problem that’s going to continue to interfere with your work, then I think it’d be best if you explained what was going on.”

Peeta glanced at his watch. Anxiety burned in his chest, but he forced himself to take a breath. Paige was safe. She knew he was coming. He’d get to her soon.

Katniss gestured to the chair across from her desk. With great reluctance, Peeta sat down.

“Would you prefer I get someone from HR in here?” she asked.

“No, it’s…” Peeta stared down at his hands. “I’ve been in and out of court these past few months battling my ex-wife for full custody of our daughter.”

A beat passed as Katniss absorbed the information. “I see.”

“The court dates were often changed at the last minute. I needed a lot of time off.”

“Of course,” Katniss said. 

“Your predecessor, Mr. Crane, didn’t care one way or another about my schedule as long as I completed my work.”

“So you never discussed it with him,” she said.

“No. And I didn’t feel comfortable discussing it with you.” He still didn’t, honestly, but this seemed like his only option.

Peeta chanced a glance up. Katniss’s eyes were fixed on the green stapler on her desk. Her expression was all wrong. Instead of cool indifference or even anger, she looked concerned.

“My daughter hasn’t taken the past few months well, as you can imagine.”

“How old is she?”

“She just turned six.” Peeta sat up straighter, but Katniss didn’t make eye contact. “She’s been dealing with a lot of anxiety, which is why I’ve been leaving the office early. She gets upset at school, and I pick her up.”

Silence stretched between them. Peeta assumed Katniss was judging him as either an incompetent father or an overindulgent one. 

“I know I can’t keep pulling her out of school, but for now, I need her to know that I’ll come if she needs me. No matter what.”

Something truly miraculous happened next. Katniss smiled. It was a small smile, barely an upturn of her mouth, but it transformed her entire face. She looked softer, younger. More importantly, she looked like she understood.

He had a feeling that he could stop now, and she’d let him go, but it felt good to explain the situation to a neutral party. Finnick, Madge, and Delly would tell him he was making the right decisions no matter what. Katniss wouldn’t humor him.

“I’m taking her to her first therapy appointment on Wednesday. Usually you have to make it weeks in advance, but they managed to squeeze her in.”

“That’s great, Peeta.” Katniss cleared her throat and smoothed her blouse even though it was already free of wrinkles. “Perhaps we can compromise. I do need you to complete your current projects, but I would never ask you to choose between work and your daughter.”

Peeta nodded as he tried to hide his surprise. Katniss seemed exactly like the kind of person who would ask such a thing.

“I appreciate that.”

“Why don’t you bring your daughter back here?” Katniss suggested. “Get some work done today. Then, you can take off next Wednesday afternoon.”

“You want me to bring her here?”

“You can use my office. It’ll give her room to move around.”

Katniss was already standing and collecting her things before Peeta found his voice.

“Are you serious?”

“Unless you’re not comfortable having her here?”

“No, that’s not--” He stopped. He didn’t want to explain that her offer had surprised him because he believed her to be a cold, callous person who valued work above all else. Somehow, he doubted that’d go over well. “I just don’t want to put you out.”

“I can work at your desk,” she said as she gathered a pile of files. “It’s not a problem.”

Who was this person? Not only had she been completely understanding, but she also seemed eager to help.

“I--I’m going to go pick her up.”

“Okay,” Katniss said without looking up from the files she sorted. 

Peeta hesitated before nodding once and exiting the office.

Finnick looked up as Peeta grabbed his coat off the back of his chair.

“Everything okay?” Finnick asked.

“I have no idea what just happened,” Peeta said as he tugged on his coat. Without further explanation, he turned the corner and hurried toward the elevator.

*

By the time Peeta returned to the office, Paige’s tears had dried and she no longer felt sick to her stomach. 

“Well hey there, Miss Paige,” Finnick said, his wide eyes sliding from her face to Peeta’s. He cocked his head to the side in question, but Peeta shook his head.

“Hi,” she said quietly, clinging to her father’s leg. 

“Paige!” Madge and Delly both waved, which she reluctantly returned. 

“Paige is going to hang out here for the afternoon.” Peeta stuck a flash drive into the computer and began loading it with files.

“You need me to grab an extra chair?” Finnick asked, already on his feet. “I’m sure the meeting room on twelfth won’t miss it.”

“Actually, that won’t be necessary. We’re going to work in Ms. Everdeen’s office.”

“Elsa?” Finnick blurted out.

Paige, who knew Elsa only as the queen from Frozen, blinked up at him.

“Ms. Everdeen,” Peeta corrected as he ejected the flash drive. “We’ll be in her office, and she’ll be at my desk.”

“Oh.” Finnick deflated. “Super.”

“C’mon, sweetheart,” Peeta said, leading Paige down the aisle. The rest of his co-workers greeted Paige with smiles and welcomes, but she only waved quietly back.

Katniss was hunched over her desk, her back to the open door when Peeta and Paige came in. Peeta handed Paige her backpack.

“Why don’t you put that on the couch?” he said.

Katniss turned around at the sound of his voice. The smile she wore disappeared as her gaze landed on the back of Paige’s head.

“Ms. Everdeen, this is my daughter, Paige.”

Katniss stared, lips parted, her expression blank until Paige returned to her father’s side.

“Ms. Everdeen?” Peeta prompted.

“Hi!” Katniss blurted out. “I’m sorry. It’s just...she looks so much like you.” She gestured between the two of them. While both were blonde and blue-eyed, Peeta had always thought Paige took after her mother.

“Paige, this is my boss, Ms. Everdeen.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Katniss said, taking a step closer. “I really like your hair.”

Paige grabbed one of the blonde braids that hung over her shoulders and frowned down at it. “Daddy did them,” Paige said. “But he made them too loose. They got messed up at school.”

Peeta tugged on her other braid. “I’m getting better. I just need more practice.”

“Do you want me to fix them for you?” Katniss asked. 

Peeta’s mouth fell open, but Katniss didn’t notice. Her focus was completely on Paige.

“Do you know how to braid?” Paige asked.

“I do,” Katniss said.

“Can you do a French braid?”

Katniss nodded. “Come sit down.”

Paige settled onto the couch sideways, folding her legs in front of her.

“You don’t have to do that,” Peeta said. 

While Katniss didn’t seem like the type of person to do something she didn’t want to, he still worried. Not only had he forced her out of her office, but he was now eating into her time. It didn’t matter that she had volunteered both.

“I’ll just take an early lunch break,” Katniss said as she pulled out a small brush from her purse.

“I just don’t want to keep you.”

Katniss’s hand froze halfway to Paige’s hair. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m overstepping.”

“Wait. That’s not what I meant. Just ignore me.”

Katniss bit her lip. He had never seen her look anything but one hundred percent certain of herself.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes. Please fix the disaster I braided into my daughter’s hair.”

“It’s not a disaster, Daddy,” Paige said.

“Give yourself a little credit. This is pretty good.” Katniss pulled the two elastics out of Paige’s hair before carefully unraveling her braids. 

Peeta sat behind Katniss’s desk and watched as she brushed Paige’s hair with a gentle hand. He stuck the flash drive into the computer, but his gaze wandered back to the couch before he could open a single file.

He had to get some work done. He had to show Katniss he could balance his personal life with work. But then Katniss asked a question.

“What grade are you in?”

“First,” Paige replied.

“Do you get homework in first grade?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind?”

There wasn’t much substance to the conversation, but it was still a conversation. Paige had been so quiet since her mother had moved out. She always answered Peeta’s questions, but she wasn’t her usual chatty self. Typically, when he arrived home from work, she’d throw herself into his arms and talk his ear off about her day at school.

Her teacher had mentioned how withdrawn she’d become, how she no longer raised her hand or played with her friends.

But here she was having a quiet conversation with an adult she had never met before. Maybe it was easier for Paige to speak when she didn’t have to look at the other person, or maybe she realized how rude it would be to remain silent while Katniss did her hair.

Either way, this day was getting stranger.

A couple of minutes later, Peeta still hadn’t made a single edit in Photoshop, but Katniss had finished Paige’s braid.

“There,” Katniss said softly. “All done.”

Paige slipped off the couch and stood in front of her father. “How does it look?”

“Gorgeous,” Peeta said. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and shot Katniss an apologetic look before snapping a picture. 

Paige leaned in close to see. “Wow!” she said. “You’re really good.”

“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Katniss said as she stood and slipped her purse over her shoulder.

Her comment surprised Peeta. He had never seen her hair in any sort of braid before. Most of the time it was pulled back in a low, sleek ponytail. Other times, she wore it in a bun, not a hair out of place.

For the first time, Peeta wondered if Katniss had children or siblings. There were no family pictures in her office, and she usually arrived earlier and stayed later than everyone else. If she had family, she didn’t see them much.

“Thank you. Can I do your hair now?” Paige asked. 

Katniss opened her mouth, but Peeta spoke first. “Ms. Everdeen has a lot of work to do. We shouldn’t keep her.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“It was very nice to meet you, Paige,” Katniss said. Even though she wore a skirt and heels, she crouched down so she was eye level with Paige and held out her hand. Paige grasped it with her own and they shook.

“It was very nice to meet you too, Miss Everdeen.”

Peeta beamed, proud of his daughter’s good manners.

“Please, call me Katniss.”

Peeta did a double take, but Katniss didn’t notice. She was already out the door.

*

When Peeta and Paige emerged a little after five, he found half the office gone, including Katniss.

“She left for a conference call an hour ago,” Finnick said, shrugging on his coat. “She said she didn’t want to disturb us with all the tedium.”

Peeta’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Did she actually make a joke?”

“I think she did,” Finnick said. “You know, I thought it was going to be a nightmare having her out here with us, but it was fine. Just quieter than usual. She even accepted a Hershey kiss from Delly.”

After Finnick switched off his computer monitor, he followed Peeta and Paige to the elevator.

“You going to explain what all this was today?” Finnick asked.

“What do you mean?”

The trio walked onto the elevator. Finnick hit the button for the Lobby. “You went from being in some sort of trouble to hijacking her office for an afternoon.”

Peeta didn’t want to go into too much detail with Paige standing at his side, so he simply shrugged. “We compromised.”

“Are you sure that’s all you did?” Finnick asked. “Because before she left, she told me to have a good evening.”

“Miss Katniss did my hair,” Paige said. “She’s really good at braiding.”

Finnick’s eyes widened as he studied Paige’s hair. “She, uh, did a good job.”

“Yeah,” Paige said. “She’s really nice.”

For once, Finnick didn’t have a single thing to say.

*

The next day, Peeta stepped off the elevator balancing three trays of cookies Paige had helped him bake the night before. 

The company had already thrown their official holiday party. It had been a stuffy affair held in the ballroom of a hotel down the street. Peeta hadn’t attended as he hadn’t wanted to bother his sister-in-law, Hailey, who served as Paige’s unofficial babysitter. Hailey swore she didn’t mind watching Paige, but Peeta still felt guilty. As a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Room at Panem Memorial, Hailey had a crazy work schedule. There was no way Peeta was going to ask her to watch Paige after a twelve-hour shift just so he could wear an uncomfortable suit and mingle with people he barely knew.

Turns out, he didn’t miss much as he got a summary from Finnick the next day: “Absolutely awful. Terribly boring. But the booze was free.”

Individual departments had their own parties if they wanted, which Peeta’s had done for the past few years. He had worried Katniss would disapprove even though the party was after-hours and offsite, but she never commented on it. Even after Delly invited her - which Finnick had begged her not to do - and Katniss had politely declined, she said nothing more about it.

Delly was holding the potluck-slash-booze fest at her apartment a couple of hours after work, so he decided to bring the cookies in now. She could cart them home and serve them later.

“Peeta, no!” Madge frowned at him from her desk. “You’re not coming tonight, are you?”

“No sitter,” Peeta said. He didn’t want to bother Hailey, and he was reluctant to leave Paige with someone he didn’t know. Eventually, when the custody issue was settled and his divorce was finalized, Peeta would look for a sitter outside of his family. But for now, he just couldn’t leave Paige with a stranger.

“You suck!” Finnick called as Peeta disappeared into the breakroom.

Peeta nearly stopped in the doorway when he saw Katniss leaning against the counter, stirring a mug of coffee as she stared into the distance. He quickly recovered and set the trays down beside her.

“Good morning, Ms. Everdeen.”

She startled at the sound of his voice. “Good morning, Mr. Mellark,” she replied. “Is it someone’s birthday?”

“No, these are cookies for, uh, tonight’s Christmas party.” He didn’t know why he was so reluctant to mention it around her. It wasn’t as if Katniss could stop them from having it.

“I thought Ms. Cartwright was hosting.”

“She is, but I can’t make it, and I’m in charge of dessert.”

“Can’t have a party without dessert.” She took a sip of her coffee.

Peeta thought he caught a small smile hidden behind her mug, but he couldn’t be sure.

Katniss was in her typical professional attire: pencil skirt, matching blazer, a white collared shirt peeking out from underneath. Her hair was pulled back into its usual ponytail. Despite all this, she seemed a little more approachable today, a little warmer.

Instead of hightailing it out of there as he would have any other day, he offered her a cookie.

“A cookie?” she echoed.

“Yeah. I’ve got peanut butter blossoms, chocolate chip, and sugar cookies.”

Without waiting for her response, he opened the top tray. He almost grabbed a Christmas tree-shaped sugar cookie before he remembered her dislike for the holiday. Instead he grabbed a star, decorated with red and green icing.

“You made these?” she asked, peeking at the assortment over his shoulder.

“Yeah. Paige and I had a baking party last night.”

He grabbed a paper towel off the counter and wrapped the cookie in it.

“I shouldn’t,” she said as he tried to hand it to her. “They’re for the party.”

“But you can’t go,” he reminded her. “You should get at least one.”

“Thank you.”

He was surprised by the sincerity in her voice. She sounded genuinely appreciative as if he had presented her with a very thoughtful gift.

“What about you?” she asked.

He grinned. “Don’t worry. There’s a plate at home for Paige and I to share.”

“No, I mean the party. If you don’t mind my asking, why can’t you attend?”

“Oh.” His smile faded. “No sitter.”

“That’s unfortunate. You weren’t able to attend the company’s party either.”

“It’s no big deal.”

“I guess.” Her mouth twisted with doubt. “You seem stressed. You could probably use a fun evening with your friends.”

“You too,” he said without thinking.

Her eyebrows shot up. He braced himself for a reprimand, but she didn’t deliver one. “I don’t have any children,” she said. “My nights are quiet.”

That was one mystery about her solved. He shrugged. “It’s just drinking and listening to Christmas music for a few hours.”

“I’m sure it’s more than that. I could…” She stopped, as if reconsidering whatever she was going to say. She glanced at the closed door. “I could watch Paige for you.”

If he had thought Katniss couldn’t surprise him more than she had yesterday, he was sorely mistaken. There was no way he had heard her correctly.

“You could...watch Paige?”

“I have a lot of experience watching children,” she said. “I can cook, I’m CPR-certified, and I could come to you.”

“I…” 

While Katniss’s offer was completely unexpected, he was more surprised that he was considering it. She had gotten along with Paige so well yesterday. And she certainly wasn’t a stranger.

“I’m sorry.” Katniss dumped the remainder of her coffee into the sink and rinsed out her mug. “That was inappropriate. I just wanted…” She shook her head and put her mug into the dish rack to dry.

“No, I was just...surprised,” Peeta finally said. It was the word of the day. “I figured you were busy since you couldn’t come to the party.”

“Oh. No, I don’t have plans, but I know the invite was just a courtesy. No one really wants their boss at a party.”

Peeta almost contradicted her, but he decided there was no point. Katniss would never believe him. More importantly though, she didn’t seem hurt by it. It was just another fact of life to her.

If Peeta hadn’t seen her with Paige the day before, there was no way he would consider this. But Katniss was experienced, and he didn’t doubt she was responsible. And Paige had asked about her before going to bed last night…

“You really don’t mind?” He wanted to ask her again. Maybe twice more. He couldn’t believe this was really happening.

“Definitely not. What time should I be over?”

“Six-thirty would be great,” he said. “Paige will already have had dinner and be in her pajamas. Bedtime is eight-thirty.”

“Okay. I can do that.”

“I’ll be home by eleven. Earlier if you need me to.”

This time there was no hesitation in her smile. “You don’t have to rush home. I’ll bring a book.”

“I have Netflix,” he blurted out.

“Even better.”

He rattled off his address, and she nodded.

“I’ll see you tonight,” she said.

As he watched her leave the kitchen, he thought about how her words, when considered out of context, sounded like the promise of a date.

*

Paige didn’t take the news of Peeta’s plans to go out very well, but she brightened at the identity of her babysitter.

“Do you think she’ll braid my hair again?”

“I’m sure if you ask nicely, she will,” Peeta said.

Paige considered this.

“I’ll have my phone with me.” He wanted to reassure her that he would come home if she needed him without encouraging her to call. She had to get better at being away from him. It was a hard balance to maintain.

Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”

Peeta’s doorbell rang at exactly 6:25. Of course Katniss was early. He swung open the door to find someone much younger - and shorter - than the Ms. Everdeen he worked with. It wasn’t as if he expected Katniss to show up in her skirt and blazer, but he had never imagined her wearing anything else. He couldn’t.

But here she was dressed in skinny jeans and a plain green sweater. Her hair was braided and hanging over her right shoulder. He couldn’t believe how much younger she looked, how much softer. This was a woman he would approach in a bar, a woman he could hold a conversation with. He had always thought Katniss was beautiful, but it was more in an objective way. She was beautiful, sure, but she was also a pain-in-the-ass.

Tonight though, he forgot about the frustration and anger. Tonight she wasn’t Ms. Everdeen. She was just Katniss.

“You’re shorter,” he blurted out.

There was that smile again. Wide and unguarded. “I wear heels at work.”

Right. Of course. He knew that. He had just never considered what she looked like out of them.

He gave Katniss a tour of the downstairs, Paige joining them as they walked through the living room. Katniss lingered in front of the pictures on the wall, a combination of photos of Paige and paintings Peeta had completed over the years. She didn’t ask or comment on them, although he could tell she wanted to by the way her gaze kept drifting back to them. He knew it was the rules she lived her life by that kept her from asking. She was overly concerned with coming off as rude or inappropriate, which is why this entire night felt so surreal. She didn’t want to overstep, yet here she was, in his house, babysitting his daughter.

“Can I show you my room?” Paige asked when they reached the kitchen.

“Sure.”

Katniss followed Paige upstairs. A couple of moments later, he heard laughter. He wanted to follow them, find out what was so funny, what had managed to crack not only Katniss’s serious exterior but Paige’s as well, but he didn’t want to interrupt.

After they returned to the kitchen, Peeta took Paige aside and asked once more if she was comfortable staying home with Katniss. The stress of the last few months had turned him into a worrier. He wondered if Paige could sense it, if her anxiety was his fault.

“It’s okay,” Paige said. “Miss Katniss said we could watch a movie if it was alright with you.”

“Of course,” Peeta said. “Bedtime at eight-thirty. Don’t eat too many cookies.”

Paige nodded.

“Why don’t you get two glasses of milk for you and Katniss while I talk to her?”

As Paige disappeared back into the kitchen, he gestured for Katniss to come into the living room. 

“So you’re sure you don’t mind doing this?” he asked.

“Peeta, I’m already here. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to actually do it.”

She had called him Peeta again. He liked his first name on her lips.

“But I do need your phone number,” she said. “Just in case I need to reach you.”

She stored his number in her phone after he recited it. “Do you have a landline?” she asked.

When he shook his head, she looked back down at her cell phone. “I’ll send you a text, so you have my number too.”

His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to find a simple “Hello” from an unknown number. He added her to his contacts, debating whether or not to list her as Ms. Everdeen. Finally, he just typed in her full name.

“I’ll be back by eleven,” he promised.

She shrugged. “Take your time. Paige and I will be fine.”

*

Finnick threw his hands in the air as Peeta followed Delly into the living room. “You made it!”

Peeta grinned at his friends as Madge handed him a hard cider. 

“You found a sitter?” Madge asked.

Peeta took a long drink as he considered what to say. Katniss hadn’t mentioned anything about keeping her actions a secret, but he doubted she wanted others to know. She was so careful about keeping her personal life separate from her work life.

“Hailey,” Peeta finally said. “She insisted I go out and have some fun.”

“Your sister-in-law is amazing,” Finnick said.

“I know,” Peeta agreed. “Now where are you hiding all the food?”

Delly laughed and led him into the kitchen.

*

When Peeta left at ten-fifteen, the party showed no sign of slowing down. Everyone was stressed out for one reason or another. They all needed an outlet. Finnick, Delly, and Madge begged him to stay, but he had to get home. While the party had worked wonders for his anxiety, he couldn’t keep reality out forever.

He walked into his house at 10:30 to find Katniss curled under a throw blanket on the couch watching the Hallmark channel.

“You do like Christmas,” he said without thinking.

Katniss leaned back against the couch cushion, her head tilted up so she could see him. “I never said I didn’t.”

Peeta racked his brain, trying to come up with a specific example of her dislike for the holiday, but came up empty. It was just the vibe she gave off.

“I told you that you didn’t have to hurry home,” she said as he sat down beside her. Well, almost beside her. He left a respectable gap at least a foot wide between them.

“I know. I just didn’t want to take advantage.”

“You didn’t. I had fun with Paige. She even talked me into letting her stay up until nine.”

Peeta’s eyes widened. “You broke a rule?”

Katniss stood and folded the blanket. “The babysitter always extends bedtime. And gives an extra cookie. That’s why they’re the babysitter and not the parent.” She draped the blanket over the back of the couch. “So really, I was just following a different set of rules.”

Peeta laughed. “Well, thank you for telling me. I’ll need to know these things when I finally find a permanent babysitter for Paige.”

“Until then, I don’t mind watching her.” Katniss rolled her eyes. “Stop looking so surprised.”

“Can you blame me? How many people turn to their boss for child care?”

Katniss sat back down and stared at her lap. “I’m just trying to be helpful. Paige is sweet, and you’re...a really good employee.”

“Thanks.”

“I...I don’t want to bring up anything uncomfortable. And you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but...Paige talked to me about your ex-wife.”

Everything good about that night disappeared. The food and alcohol which had tasted so good going down suddenly curdled in his stomach. 

“She did?”

“She told me some very personal things, and I didn’t think it was right to keep that from you,” Katniss said.

He buried his face in his hands, hoping not having to look at Katniss would make this easier. Could Paige have told her everything that had happened? It wasn’t a secret, or it wasn’t supposed to be, but Peeta had never told his friends the complete truth. Paige refused to talk about it. Peeta worried what it would do to her to keep it all inside, but he didn’t push her even when the Department of Children, Youth, and Families had interviewed her. He wanted her to talk to someone, but he had never expected that Katniss would be the person she opened up to.

“What did she say?” he asked.

“She thinks everything is her fault. Your ex-wife moving out, the divorce, your stress...she’s afraid you’re mad at her.”

His heart plummeted, landing in the swirling mess of acid eating away at his stomach. His worst possible fear had come true, and of course, Ms. Everdeen, the source of his stress at work, had to be the messenger.

“But I told her…” Peeta stood and hurried into the kitchen, worried that if he didn’t move right away, he’d be sick on the living room floor.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to upset you.”

Peeta spun around at the sound of Katniss’s voice to find her standing in the entrance of the kitchen.

“I told her I wasn’t mad. I told her it wasn’t her fault. I’ve said it so many times,” Peeta said.

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay!” Peeta slammed his fist on the counter. Katniss jumped, and he immediately regretted his actions. He had to keep his temper under control. He had to stop acting like his mother, like Glimmer...he was better than this.

“That night we spent at the hotel, I told her what her mother did was wrong. That she didn’t deserve to be insulted or hit or…” Peeta trailed off. 

He had tried so hard to avoid becoming his mother that he hadn’t noticed he’d married a woman just like her. He’d never forget the night he came home early from work to find Glimmer screaming at Paige over a spilled cup of juice. He’d never forget the the sight of Glimmer pulling her hand back or the sound it made when her palm connected with Paige’s face.

How long had it been like that? How could he not have noticed?

He had very nearly grabbed Glimmer and thrown her across the room. He wanted to rage and yell and hurt her the same way, but Paige’s tears had stopped him. He couldn’t fight Glimmer’s violence with violence of his own. He picked up Paige, told Glimmer she had twenty-four hours to move her stuff out of the house, and spent the night at a hotel in the next town over.

“You did the right thing,” Katniss said. “It sounds like you’ve done all the right things.”

Peeta shook his head. “I let it happen. How could I not have known?”

“It doesn’t matter that you didn’t see it at first. You can’t change that. Abusers are good at hiding their true colors. What matters is that you took immediate action. You didn’t make excuses. You didn’t give her another chance to hurt Paige.”

He stared at Katniss for a long moment. Katniss wouldn’t lie to him. She wasn’t in the habit of softening a blow or holding back. He had seen how blunt she could be at work. He let out a shuddering breath and tried to absorb her words.

“Once all of this is over, and you have sole custody, things will get back to normal. Paige will get better,” Katniss continued.

“Thank you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry too. I know you try to keep your distance and now...”

“It’s okay.” She fiddled with her braid and looked down at her feet. “I should probably get going.”

“You don’t have to.” He didn’t want to be alone, cycling through thoughts of shame and guilt for the rest of the night. Her hesitation suggested she might not want to leave either. “Weren’t you watching a movie?”

“Yeah. Who knows how it’ll end? Hallmark can be so unpredictable.”

He laughed. For the longest time, he had assumed Katniss didn’t possess a sense of humor. As it turned out, she had just been hiding that dry sarcasm.

They settled back on the couch. The silence between them wasn’t exactly tense, but it wasn’t an easy, relaxing one either.

“It’s not that I don’t care,” Katniss said as the movie cut to commercial.

“About what?”

“About you and...everyone else at work. I know everyone thinks I’m some sort of ice queen who doesn’t care, but...I do.”

Peeta turned at least three different shades of red. Was it possible she knew about their nickname for her? Her use of “ice queen” was way too coincidental otherwise. “I don’t think that.”

“Don’t lie. It’s okay.” She clasped her hands together in her lap. “I just have trouble connecting with people. Part of me doesn’t want to.”

“Why?”

“It’s just easier.”

At first he thought the conversation was over. Her terse answer didn’t invite a follow up question. Tension had sprouted between them, and he knew the topic of conversation was the cause. The commercial break ended, they both stared at the television, but after another moment, she spoke.

“I’ve been alone for a long time. I’m not sure I remember how to not be alone.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” he said.

“No, I want to.” She brushed her braid off her shoulder before settling her hands back in her lap. They were clasped together so tightly, her knuckles were white. “My dad died when I was eleven, and my sister...she was killed by a drunk driver over winter break her senior year of high school.”

“Katniss, I...I’m so sorry.” Without thinking, he laid his hand over hers and squeezed.

“It was hard after my father died. I did everything I could to make sure Prim was happy, that she never wanted for anything. I did odd jobs around my neighborhood, and when I finally turned fifteen, I found a job at the grocery store. When I graduated from high school, I got a secretary position at Abernathy’s.” 

Peeta didn’t know what to say. He had no idea Katniss had been with the company for so long. If she had started as a secretary and worked her way up to a managerial position, she was obviously smart and capable. She had to know what she was doing.

“I saved every cent I could to make sure Prim could go to whatever college she wanted,” Katniss continued. “She wanted to be a doctor.”

And then she had died a few months shy of her high school graduation. Imagining Katniss’s loss cracked his chest open. He tried to make it real, imagine it as one of his brothers, but he couldn’t. It was unfathomable. 

“It was all for nothing in the end,” Katniss said. “A college fund for no one.”

He wanted to pull her into his arms. He knew whatever he said right now wouldn’t help. But he doubted Katniss would allow it.

“After she died, I just kept working and saving. I don’t know how to do anything else.”

Katniss was stuck in survival mode. It sounded as if she had been there since her father’s death, and had never found her way out. Her grief was a labyrinth, and while he couldn’t relate to her specific tragedies, he knew what it was to forget how to live. To wander the maze with no hope of escape, just the drive to go around one more corner, make it through one more day. 

A tear slipped down Katniss’s cheek. She practically slapped herself in her haste to wipe it away.

“I shouldn’t have told you all that,” she said.

“I’m glad you did.”

She shook her head. “Can I tell you something else then? Something I shouldn’t and clearly makes me a terrible boss?”

Peeta’s heart rate rose as he realized how close the two of them now were. His hand still rested on hers.

“Mr. Abernathy is considering layoffs in the new year,” she said.

Peeta blinked in surprise. At first, he felt ashamed that he had hoped Katniss would confess something else, but it quickly changed to shock. “Layoffs?”

“It’s why I’ve been so hard on everyone. Why I want to open the day after Christmas. You’re all hard-working, talented employees. I don’t want to give Mr. Abernathy a reason to doubt your dedication.”

Peeta sat back and covered his face. He wanted to laugh. He could feel it bubbling up in his throat.

“I can’t believe this,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” Katniss said. “I know I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t want to ruin anyone’s holiday. I just wanted you to understand.”

“We were so wrong about you,” Peeta said.

“I don’t know,” Katniss said with a small smile. “The nickname Elsa sort of fits.”

“Oh my god.” He dropped his hands. “You know about that?”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“I am so sorry. You just, you seemed so…”

She shrugged. “Usually I don’t care what people think about me. But I guess I just wanted you to know that I’m not as bad as you think.”

He couldn’t tell if there was a deeper meaning to her confession. Out of all the employees in the office, she specifically wanted him to know she was a real live person with real live feelings? Or had she confessed because he was the only one she had ever seen outside of the office?

It didn't matter. Or it couldn’t, at least not right now. Tears were still drying on her face, but at least she was smiling.

“I have to ask you then...why didn’t you lessen Finnick’s workload when he told you about his wife?”

Katniss’s smile immediately disappeared. “What about his wife?”

Shit. “You mean, he didn’t explain why he was feeling so stressed out?”

“No. He said he felt overwhelmed, and was hoping to give one of his projects to someone else. I thought he was trying to get out of doing work. I had no idea something else was going on.”

“I thought he told you.”

Katniss rubbed her forehead, her mouth twisted in a scowl. “It doesn’t matter that he didn’t. He felt stressed out, and I dismissed him. I knew I shouldn’t have listened to Seneca.”

“Mr. Crane?” Peeta asked.

“He warned me about Finnick before I took over. Told me he liked to slack off. I shouldn’t have listened. I should have waited and formed my own opinion.” She met Peeta’s eyes. “I’ll fix it. I promise.”

“You’re too hard on yourself. Everything will be fine.”

“And you’re way too optimistic.” She glanced at the cable box beneath the television and sighed. “I should get going before I tell you anything else I regret.”

“Hey.” He touched her arm. “I don’t regret what you know about me now. I’m glad Paige found someone to open up to.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So you shouldn’t regret it either. It’s good to get out of your own head every once in a while.”

She smiled, and once more, his pulse raced. He couldn’t decide if this attraction to Katniss had been there all along, buried beneath the stress she caused, or if it had developed over the evening as the real Katniss came into focus.

He walked her to the door and thanked her once more for watching Paige. And then before he could change his mind, he blurted out, “You should come over Sunday night. For dinner.”

Her eyes widened “On Christmas Eve? Are you sure that’s--”

“Don’t say appropriate.”

“I don’t want to intrude on your time with your daughter.”

“Are you kidding? Paige would be thrilled if you joined us.”

“Is this a pity invite? Because you know I’ll be alone?”

He shook his head. “Sorry. No pity invites here.”

She bit her lip. “What’s the dress code?”

He suppressed a laugh, but he was sure she could see the amusement on his face. “How about you dress to your comfort, and I’ll dress up or down accordingly?”

“Okay.”

“Come for six?”

“Okay,” she repeated. “I’m going to leave before I realize this is a terrible idea and change my mind.”

“Better hurry,” he said. “I’ll let you know how that Hallmark movie ends.”

*

While Peeta failed to talk to Paige about what she said to Katniss, he succeeded in telling his daughter that Katniss was coming to dinner.

She was, to put it mildly, excited. “She is so cool, Dad! We watched Tangled, and it turns out Rapunzel is her favorite princess too! She said she could give me Rapunzel hair.”

While Peeta had no idea what Paige meant by “Rapunzel hair,” he did learn a lot about Katniss thanks to his daughter. For example, Katniss loved to read and had been thrilled to read a chapter of _Charlotte’s Web_ to Paige before bed. She practiced yoga regularly and had shown Paige a few poses. And, most importantly, her favorite kind of pie was apple, and therefore, it was on the menu for tonight.

Two minutes before six, the doorbell rang. As soon as Peeta opened the door, Katniss thrust a bottle of wine at him.

“I picked this up, and then I realized I have no idea if you even like wine.” She pulled a box of green tea out of her purse and pushed it into his free hand. “But I know you like tea, so I have backup.”

He was surprised to find the tea she had purchased matched the kind he kept at work. Apparently, without him noticing, she had been paying attention.

“You’re in luck. I enjoy both wine and tea. Come on in,” he said.

He moved aside, giving her room to step over the threshold. He was lucky his hands were full because instinct had him reaching for the small of her back to guide her. He shut the door, and they both went into the kitchen.

“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.

“Water’s fine. Thank you.”

As he grabbed a glass from the cabinet, he felt the distance between them, the easy familiarity of the other night gone. He worried they wouldn’t be able to recreate it until Katniss held out her arms.

“I settled on a sweater dress and tights. Not fancy, but not too casual. What do you think?” she asked.

He glanced down at his dark blue jeans and red sweater and nodded his approval. “I think I don’t have to change. I did have a suit hanging in my closet just in case.”

“What would you have done if I had shown up in my pajamas?”

“I would have left you standing on the doorstep while I ran to change into sweatpants.”

“Alright. Next time it’s sweatpants.”

She turned away and took a sip of her water, missing the look of shock on his face. Next time. There was going to be a next time.

Katniss pulled a set of flower clips from her purse. “Is Paige upstairs?”

“Yeah.” He eyed the clips. “What are those?”

“I told her next time I saw her, I’d make her look like Rapunzel, which means lots of flowers.”

An unexpected warmth filled him as he studied Katniss. She appeared genuinely excited.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said.

“It’s fun doing someone’s hair again.” She swept past him and disappeared up the stairs.

Her sister. Of course. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it before. Katniss had a talent for braiding and watching children because she had done so much for her younger sister. 

When Katniss and Paige came down fifteen minutes later, Paige wore her Rapunzel dress, her hair in a long braid down her back with at least a dozen flowers decorating it. She and Katniss looked so happy, it made Peeta’s chest ache.

“Ready for dinner?” he asked.

*

Peeta decided not to enforce Paige’s bedtime, knowing she’d fall asleep eventually. Halfway through the live action version of _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ , she passed out in Peeta’s lap. Katniss carefully plucked the flower clips out of Paige’s hair before Peeta picked her up and deposited her in bed.

When he returned to the couch, he sat a little closer to Katniss. Not enough to touch her or make her uncomfortable. Just a little closer.

“Thank you for dinner tonight,” she said. “The apple pie was delicious.”

“You have Paige to thank for that.”

“You even remembered the vanilla ice cream.” She finished the small amount of wine remaining in her glass and looked over at him. “I guess I should go?”

He liked that she posed it as a question, that she hadn’t bothered to stand up or pull on her boots. 

“If you go now, you’ll miss the best part,” he said.

“Something better than delicious food and good company?”

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

A moment after he disappeared down the hall into his home office, he reappeared with two Santa hats. He threw one to Katniss before tugging the other onto his head.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Are you ready for elf duty?”

Her eyes lit up. “You mean put out presents for Paige?”

“We also have to eat the cookies she left out. If you’re up to the task.”

Katniss stood up and pulled the hat on. “Lead the way.”

A week ago, if someone had told Peeta that Ms. Everdeen, his rigid, overly serious boss would be in his house helping him place gifts around the Christmas tree, he would have doubled over in laughter. But this woman next to him, this sweet, thoughtful, beautiful woman was nothing like the Ms. Everdeen he knew. He recognized traces of her. There was an intense focus on her face as she arranged the gifts, and despite the confessions they had shared with each other, she still hadn’t asked him about the art on his walls. 

But there was warmth in her expression now, and her smiles came so easily. He could tease her without worry of reprimand. He could notice how beautiful she was and how good she smelled, and when he touched her hand, he could pretend it was an accident.

After they had carefully arranged the presents, they sat on the floor, the lights dim, wine glasses in hand, and talked. For two hours, Katniss came into sharper focus as whatever walls she usually hid behind crumbled. The blue, red, and green lights from the tree danced across her face as she threw her head back and laughed at the story of Paige’s first encounter with a mall Santa. When she set her wine glass down and looked over at him with bright eyes and flushed cheeks, he couldn’t help but lean closer.

“Has she been back to see Santa since?” Katniss asked.

“Yes, but we never made it this year.”

“No time?”

“No, there was time. Christmas just felt different this year, I guess. Usually, she starts dropping hints about going to see Santa on Thanksgiving, but it didn’t come up this year.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. You definitely made up for it.” She tilted her head toward the mounds of gifts surrounding the tree. 

Peeta laughed. Yeah, guilt had definitely been the driving force behind his purchases this year.

“Thank you for coming over tonight,” he said. “Paige had a lot of fun with you. I don’t think it would have been the same without you.”

Katniss shook her head and looked down at her lap. “I highly doubt that. You two make a wonderful little family.”

“Thanks, but I mean it. It made a difference to me.”

He reached out to touch her hair. When she didn’t move away, he tucked a few strands behind her ear. She swallowed, and he resisted the urge to press his mouth to her throat and trace the movement with his tongue. 

“You couldn’t stand me a few days ago,” she said.

“I was an idiot a few days ago,” he replied. “I should have listened to Delly. She kept saying if we just had a conversation with you, we’d realize you weren’t so bad.”

“Is that what I should do then? Start offering child care to all my employees? Crash their holiday dinners?”

“I hope not,” he said. “I kind of thought I was special.”

“You are.” She squeezed her eyes shut. It was hard to tell with the lights so dim, but he thought he saw her blush. “I mean…”

When she didn’t try to explain further, he leaned forward, and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was soft and unsure, but the longer it went on without her pulling away, the bolder he became. He cupped the side of her face, his fingers disappearing into her hair, and sucked on her bottom lip. She grabbed a fistful of his sweater to pull him closer. A moment later, she was on her back, her hips cradling his as he hovered over her.

“Wait.” Her fist flattened into a palm against his chest.

“Please don’t,” he said, his breathing heavy. “Can’t we worry about appropriate later?”

She laughed softly. “I was going to ask if you heard something. I don’t think Paige should come downstairs and find us like this.”

He paused and listened hard, but there was no noise. 

“I think we’re okay,” he whispered.

“You’re right though,” she said. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“That’s not even close to what I said.”

“There are so many reasons why I should go.”

She was his boss. He was in the middle of a divorce and fighting for full custody. Paige was upstairs. And yet.

“I feel like if you go now, then that’ll be it. It’ll be like this never happened.”

“Maybe that’s for the best,” she said.

“I don’t think that’s true.”

When he kissed her again, there was no hesitation. She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him closer. Time slipped away as his hands wandered beneath her dress, and she gasped into his mouth.

“Do you think we should go upstairs?” she asked as he kissed a trail down her neck.

“Are you sure?”

Suddenly, she was Ms. Everdeen again, serious and composed, as she looked him in the eye and said, “I am one hundred percent sure.”

Her footsteps on the stairs were soundless. When they reached his bedroom, he didn’t bother turning on the light.

*

The next morning, he woke up to Paige dive-bombing his bed. He sat up in a panic, unsure how he was going to explain Katniss in bed with him, when he realized there was no Katniss to explain. It was just him, and now Paige jumping up and down. Peeta’s heart sank as he looked around the room, but there was nothing to suggest Katniss had ever been there much less spent the night.

Only a few hours ago, Katniss had curled up in his arms as his eyes fluttered shut, the worry he constantly lived with finally giving him a reprieve. He fell asleep content and calm, the scent of her hair on his skin.

But now...

Peeta finally snapped out of it when Paige jumped into arms.

“I guess you want to open presents?” he asked.

“Presents!” And then she was out of his bedroom, running down the stairs.

Peeta shoved the night before out his mind, buried his disappointment, and went downstairs to celebrate Christmas with his daughter.

*

An hour later, as Paige danced around the living room in her new Rapunzel dress and Peeta cleaned up the discarded wrapping paper, his phone beeped.

It was a text message from Katniss.

I’m sorry to disturb you at home on Christmas, but I wanted to let you all know that after much consideration, I have decided to close our department tomorrow. Please respond, so I know that you received this message. Have a wonderful day off with your families. Merry Christmas.

Peeta nearly sent his phone flying across the room. It wasn’t a group text. She must have sent it to each person individually, and yet his read like any other generic message you sent to an employee you barely knew.

He sent a thumbs up emoji back, shoved his cell phone back into his pocket, and returned to cleaning. He didn’t hear from her for the rest of the day.

*

The next day, after he dropped Paige off at Rye and Hailey’s house so she could celebrate a second Christmas with her cousins, he found himself driving in the direction of the office. It was a bad idea, especially after Katniss’s not so subtle brushoff, but he felt like he had to try. It had only been a few days since he had first seen her outside of the office, but already his feelings for her had grown.

And he knew she felt something for him too.

As expected, she was in her office in the empty department, typing away at her computer when he walked in. She jumped when he knocked on the door, but smiled when she saw it was him.

“Look, I know you don’t want to see me,” he said.

“Why wouldn’t I want to see you?”

Great. This was the way she was going to play this.

“Are we just going to pretend nothing happened?” he asked.

“What are you talking about? Are you okay? You seem upset.”

As usual her tone was calm and quiet, although he detected a hint of worry.

“Can we not have this conversation with you on the other side of that desk?” 

“Okay,” she said, brow creased as she walked around to where he was standing. “What’s going on?”

“I get that you regret what happened, but--”

She touched his arm. “What are you talking about? I don’t regret anything. I had an amazing time with you.”

“But you think we should pretend it never happened.”

“Why would I want that? I mean, if this is to continue, we’ll have to be discreet, but--”

“Wait.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand. If you want to keep seeing each other, why did you leave?”

“I wasn’t going to let Paige find me in bed with you! And I certainly wasn’t going to insert myself into Christmas morning with your daughter. Didn’t you read my note?”

“You left a note?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t just leave. I left it on the pillow.”

Peeta thought back to Christmas morning, to Paige jumping on the bed. The note must have flown off. It was probably under the bed or behind his nightstand table.

“I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it, and I’m an idiot,” he said. “You really want to give this a try?”

“Yes.”

“Even though it’s a terrible idea and breaks several rules?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes. I don’t follow every single rule, you know.”

“I can see that. You said the department was closed, and yet here you are.”

“I have a lot of work to get done,” she said.

“I hope you’re planning on taking a half day.”

She bit her lip, the only indication she ever gave that she was unsure.

“Come on. You can come over, and I’ll make lunch. Let’s worry about work tomorrow.”

They walked out of the building together, but separate, their conversation generic and unimportant, their arms glued to their sides. They parted ways at the parking lot and climbed into their respective cars. 

Twenty minutes later, she was walking through his front door, his hand on the small of her back.

“Is there any apple pie left?” she asked.

“Pie for lunch? I’ve turned you into a rebel.”

He cut two slices, set them on plates, and scooped vanilla ice cream onto each. When he went into the living room to tell her it was ready, he found her staring at the artwork on the walls once more.

This time, she asked him where they had come from, and when she found out that he had done them, she asked how long he had been drawing, what other kind of art he did.

The questions flooded out of her. He was happy to answer each and every one. He led her upstairs to show her his sketchbooks, and she pored over them, admiring each page, complimenting the ones she liked best. When he ran out of sketchbooks, he kissed her instead, and the afternoon drifted away, the ice cream on their pie melting downstairs.

By the time they returned to the kitchen, it was time for dinner, and Peeta was the happiest he had been in months.

For the first time in a very long time, he believed everything really would be okay. He had his daughter, his friends, and his family on his side, helping him through everything.

And now, he had Katniss too.


End file.
